


The two that listen

by elven_scribe



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: But he’s sweet, But mostly fluff, But only a little, GN Reader, Gen, I love them both, Internalized Homophobia, I’ll add more characters later, M/M, Multi, Or like my experiences, Pining, Polyamory, Reader Insert, Reader-Insert, SO, a lil angst, and that’s kinda angsty, but about interests, but the second chapter give backstory to the character, hes an idiot, i think it’ll end there, i'm not super into angsty stuff, idk if that makes a difference for yall, it is a comfort piece, masc leaning reader, nishinoya is too, reader Is based on me, reader is insecure, so i dont want to write much either, take that how you will, tanaka is so sweet, the reader is on the team, when im reading
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27695494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elven_scribe/pseuds/elven_scribe
Summary: Reader is really insecure about interests and won’t let themselves get emotionally involved. Nishinoya and Tanaka help them out. And it all ends in kissing n shit. I have a general idea about where I want it to go. But I might not stick to it. I feel like some of it comes off very middle schooler trying to be cool or whatever, but it is what it is. Honestly, reader is kinda like Tsukishima, Kenma, and Tendou all mixed together also Aone, which I realized just now fucking 3 or 4 months after the initial posting. Let’s go on this adventure together. I might make a better summary later as well. Who knows, I don't, that's for sure.
Relationships: Nishinoya Yuu & Reader, Nishinoya Yuu & Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Other background - Relationship, Tanaka Ryuunosuke & Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I tend to abandon my projects. I really want to break that habit, so here we are. I hope you enjoy. Again the reader is based on my experiences, so maybe not the most exciting fic. Eh. Also italics are thoughts.

“Y/n, have you seen this guy Tanaka? He looks so mean, like he’s angry for no reason.” I hum. This isn’t really something I care about, I just want to pass my classes and play volleyball. It’s the first day of school as a first year. I’ve yet to meet the team, but I hope it works out. I have some acquaintances from middle school, but none of them play the game. The signal of the end of class goes off and I head to the gym where the club meets.

Walking into the gym I scan my surroundings. To the left of the door are anxious looking guys, probably first years. To the right, is a very grumpy looking guy. About my height with frizzy, bleached, short hair. He gives off an intense and angry aura. I think this might be the Tanaka guy my classmate mentioned earlier. Shrugging I go stand next to him. I have a hunch there was a lot more going on in that head of his.

Soon after, a girl comes skipping through the doors to the gym and the guy -maybe Tanaka- immediately proposes to her. He looked absolutely enamored, like he had seen an angel. Sure she was pretty, but not my type if you catch my drift. From that moment we both came to realizations: he was in love with her, and I was in love with him. _Well not in love, but definitely attracted to him. Like a crush or whatever. Let’s not put a name to it, or acknowledge it. It’s not a big deal. There is no time to pine over anyone, or really a reason to. I have two goals here, what’s the point hoping for or daydreaming about something that’s not going to happen. Tch. I’ve already spent too much time thinking about it._

~

Gradually over the following year he, the team’s Libero, Nishinoya, and I became an “unlikely bunch.” That’s what everybody calls it anyway. You don’t really get it. Tanaka and Nishinoya are both loud and intense, I tend to stay quiet, but we get along well. I'm still pining over Tanaka, and still in denial; for extra “fun” I have also started pining over Nishinoya. I've also started to humor them in their “Kiyoko protection squad.”

~

It’s the beginning of your second year and it feels like the team has fallen apart since our loss against Date Tech. Noya and Asahi had fought, leading to Noya getting suspended. Asahi refuses to come to practice and I just feel a little lost in the chaos. Tanaka, always headstrong and determined, is still coming to practice. I show up as well, but it’s not the same without Asahi and Noya.

“Y/n, are you feeling okay? You seem.. out of it.” Tanaka has always been conscious of others emotions- tuned in even more closely to those he cares about. I nod and hum, having not been talkative for a long time. Since before I even met Tanaka. _I hope everything turns out okay. And that we have some good first years to maybe re motivate Asahi, and hopefully him and Noya can make up. It_ really does feel like the wall of safety I had built is crumbling. The team was really a safety net, a family. I feel I may lose it all. And fall apart, again. I've never been confident in myself; hiding behind sarcasm and volleyball. I can’t lose volleyball. Time to fight for something. I pat Tanaka on the back as we catch up to Daichi and Sugawara.

“We have a few applicants for the club this year, not as many as I hoped, but let’s take what we can get.” Daichi gives us a brief description of each person.

  * “Kageyama Tobio, setter from Kitagawa first. His precision is robotic, but he is.. controlling.“
  * “Tsukishima Kei, a middle blocker from Amemaru Middle School. He’s good, but not very enthusiastic.”
  * “Yamaguchi Tadashi, he has played as a middle blocker. He’s not particularly skilled, but with encouragement and practice he could be great.”
  * “Hinata Shoyo, umm.. he’s played in one official match. I don’t think he had a set position and he was awful at receiving and serving, but he was fast and he could jump. High. He was short. He would be a great decoy. He’s motivated, I feel like he’s going places.”



We step into the gym to see a tiny ginger and an angry dude. They’re arguing. _I don’t have the energy for this, I have a feeling Tanaka is gonna eat this up. I let everybody else figure their shit out and grab a ball, and practice against a wall. I think the ginger is Hinata. He does look determined. He’s got a… confidence that I’m not sure he can back up. He has one goal and he’s going to reach it no matter what. I think the other guy is Kageyama, as Tsukkishima wasn’t motivated and Yamaguchi sounded anxious based on what Daichi said. Hm. Maybe they played against each other in middle school. I think Tana- OW!_

“What the hell was that for?” I spin on my heel. The ginger looks panicked and Tanaka is laughing. _Okay. The ginger messed up. That’s fine. But Tanaka is gonna get his ass beat._ “Tanaka you son of a bitch this is not funny. I’m gonna have a headache for the rest of the day!” I look at the angry kid from earlier. “You, your Kageyama, right?” A nod “I’m gonna guess you sent that ball to ginger over there who can’t receive and he didn’t receive it?” A scowl and a nod. I hum. “You are teammates now, get that through your thick skull then come back. I don’t like being hit in the head.” _God damnit I spoke too much. Now they hate me and I’m never gonna be in another game. I’m a failure. I might as well drop out now._

“Stop overthinking. It’s annoying.” Ryu flicks your temple. I scowl, but I grab his wrist and squeeze it in thanks. “You know, that Tsukishima kid Daichi was talking about sounds kinda familiar. Don’t ya think?”

“No, I’m plenty enthusiastic.”

“But you knew who I was talking about, so I’m right. I know you love the sport, but you don’t really show it. Almost like.. you’re afraid you’ll get shot down or hurt if you get too excited.”

“You remember Date Tech, of course I’m afraid I’ll get hurt. I always end up hurt when I love something.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way, y/n. I’ll stand with you, you aren’t alone anymore. If you get shot down or hurt, I’ll be there to help you get back up. It’s not like when you were younger.” He bumps my shoulder with his own. I squeeze his wrist again before he walks away to join the group again.


	2. Childhood is awful if you think about it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Readers background. Dealing with bullying, not being able to talk about interests as much as wanted. Lacking friends etc. Just a constant feeling of out of place.  
> Blurbs from the ages of 5 to 16.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few bits of info.  
> Reader has sensory processing disorders and get really obsessive about things. Like they’ll find something they find comfort in and then talk about that thing constantly and suck every last drop of serotonin they can from it. They are often told to shut up about these things. Over time reader has compensated and stopped letting themselves get excited and has also forced themselves to be quiet. Ok.

5 years old. 

“Y/N, why are you crying? Did you fall?” The teacher’s voice was gentle, but I didn’t want to bother her or make her upset. I didn’t fall. My ears just hurt. I nod though.

6 years old. 

“Hey! Y/N come on! Let’s play house! We need a dad. So you’re gonna be the dad.” Building blocks look like more fun. Those kids are scary though. They are loud. It hurts my ears over there.

7 years old. 

I have realized now that not everybody's ears hurt. Only some kids. They get left out of games though. If I get left out of games, I don’t know. I just don’t want to be left out of games.   
“Hey! Y/N isn’t very fast, they can’t run. Tag them!” I’m “it.” I’m supposed to chase them now. I don’t know why. This doesn’t seem very fun. But it’s a game and I don’t want to be left out of games. 

8 years old. 

I have discovered bugs. I like bugs. They are gentle if you find the right ones. Ladybugs are my favorite. They are bright but tough. They have shells over their wings to protect them. If I talk about bugs, people get grossed out. I’m not supposed to like bugs. When people don’t like something they make faces and get loud. That hurts my ears. I don’t talk about bugs. 

9years old. 

I have a friend now. They don’t like bugs. But they are nice to me, and they don’t get loud. My ears don’t hurt around them. 

10 years old. 

I don’t have a friend anymore. They stopped talking to me. I don’t know why. I have discovered that being underwater stops noises. I like water. If I jump off of a diving board the sting of hitting the water feels good. And once I’m in the water I stay under for a while before I float to the top. It’s quiet then. I like the quiet. 

11 years old. 

People are mean. They hurt my ears and they always touch me. I don’t like hugs or hand shakes. I hate being pat on the back. It makes me want to cry. It doesn’t hurt though, so nobody gets it. 

12 years old. 

I have discovered ear plugs, earbuds, and on ear headphones. I have also discovered that music does not hurt my ears. I like music. I have also discovered volleyball. I thought it would be really loud, and it is, until I’m playing it. Then everything goes quiet and I can focus. The sting of receiving the ball is the best feeling ever. These are all good. 

13 years old. 

I’m on a volleyball team. It is good. I don’t like everybody on the team or most people on the team really. But I like the game, and the game is played as a team. So, I am on a team. I practice all the time. My parents were happy at first, but then they got sick of me talking about it. I have learned that one should not talk about what they like. 

14 years old. 

I lose almost all my games. I still play volleyball because it’s the only thing I’m good at. But, I can’t get excited about it. It isn’t worth it if I only lose. 

15 years old. 

I’m going into Highschool now. I’m going to join the volleyball team and I am going to pass my classes. I can’t get my hopes up about anything. I just need to get through this. 

15.5 years old. 

I have friends. I don’t lose all my games anymore. I’m passing all my classes. My friends are good to me. We have common interests and we get along. I can’t get my hopes up. They will leave me in the end.

16 years old. 

I’m going into my second years of Highschool. I’m learning to let myself enjoy things. I’m learning to open up to people. I am letting myself get excited. If I feel disappointed I don’t give up anymore. It just fuels me. My friends are good to me. I wish those I am in love with love me back. That is the one thing I can’t get my hopes up about. 


	3. Ryu secretly is a softy- as if we didn't know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaotic speed run of the first week for the new first years. Snuggles. Asahi is here. They talk some stuff out. Noya! My Love! He is here as well. More Snuggles. This chapter is a big boy- almost 17 hundred words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my first commenter. ILY. You have brought motivation back, as well as excitement for this particular story. So thanks m8.

After Ryu walked away to join the others chaos ensued. Hinata challenged Kageyama to... Something. I really couldn’t follow along with them that well. To summarize, the vice principal’s wig got knocked off his head and Daichi kicked the two first years out of the gym. Telling them to get along or don’t join the team.

That evening they challenged Daichi to a match to show how they can ‘get along’. Surprisingly Daichi allowed that and stated there will be a three on three the following Saturday with the other newbies and two others that were already club members. Tanaka gets stuck with the arguing idiots. He -not so- subtly communicated with them about when practice starts. I got dragged to school the following morning by Tanaka to help the two out. Sugawara joined us at some point as well.

~

The week following the incident with the vice principal went by fairly quickly. We met Tsukishima and Tanaka hates him. He wasn’t too fond of Yamaguchi either, but the kid just seemed super nervous. He seemed like he was hiding behind Tsukishima; he reminded me of myself far more than Tsukishima did. I would join Tanaka and Sugawara in the morning helping Hinata and Kageyama. I was able to help Hinata with receiving somewhat, but he really needed in-game time to get a better feel for it. We can help with technique, but he needs more than a week to get used to it.  _ Obviously.  _

On Friday morning Tanaka was very surprised to see them passing back and forth. I was tailing behind him, but not caught off guard by that. Suga said they had been at it for at least 15 minutes straight.  _ Monsters. The two of them.  _ They pass comments back and forth. As Kageyama is taunting Hinata about running out of energy, I huff. He sends the ball way far back making it look like Hinata won’t reach it. He does, and I hum. As Kageyama decides to set the ball, Tanaka and Suga think the ginger won’t have enough energy to spike it. He is way too determined and desperate to not have the energy. So when he does all I can do is hum again. 

_ Tomorrow is going to go well.  _

~

Of course, the duo and Tanaka won. So Kageyama gets to be a setter. I didn’t doubt he wouldn’t be able to for a moment. Daichi is Stern but not mean, I bet even if they lost he would let Kageyama set anyway. The monster children were almost immediately practicing spiking after the match. I have no idea how they have so much energy. 

As Tanaka and I are walking to his house later that day I get a notification from Asahi. He’s been having a hard time focusing lately and is having me help him to study. It seems his anxiety about Daichi and Suga is pretty terrible since he’s coming to me. We aren’t particularly close, but he knows I will be able to help without judging him. I let him know we can get dinner at a diner and go to the library. We agree on meeting at six tonight. I have two and a half hours with Tanaka until then. 

“Ryu, can we watch Avatar?” I rub his head with my hand on the side away from him and with the other, I grip his wrist, squeezing 3 short times. We have a code created so I don’t have to talk out loud when I’m uncomfortable. Mostly for specific needs that are hard to ask for even when I am comfortable. *I’ll create a chapter to refer back to for the code. For now, the three short squeezes communicate needing comfort and cuddles. Fluffy stuff like that.*

“Yes and yes, do you wanna stop and get a snack?” I hum and nod. We turn into the store run by Ukai and get a single candy bar to share. Ukai makes sure we will actually get a real dinner later. For not knowing us, he sure does seem to care a lot. Maybe it’s just his nature. To make sure that people are taking care of themselves and stuff. 

As we get to his house we see Saeko pulling onto the lot in her company-owned van. “Hey, troublemakers! How was the match?” I wave and Tanaka gives a short summary, promising to give more details later. We get to his room and he grabs his laptop. I go to sit at the small table he has, but he grabs my hand and gently tugs me toward his bed. He lies down and gives another tug. I crawl under the covers with him and he pulls me into his chest. 

“I think I just wanna nap instead.” I roll over to face him and nuzzle into his neck. He gives a small chuckle and nods giving a noise of agreement. 

“Don’t tell anybody about this. Nobody can know I’m soft. I’m a tough guy,” he grumbles out sleepily. I hum and nod. We both drift to sleep. 

~

My alarm to remind me to leave and head to Asahi’s wakes us up. Tanaka grumbles something incoherent and squeezes me tighter. I pat his upper arm. And untangled myself from his grasp and blankets. “I promised Asahi I would help him study.”

“Okay, but you gotta convince him to come back to practice.” I hum a noncommittal agreement. “Please. We need him. Even with the freak first years. I squeeze his bicep before I leave. The walk to the diner Asahi and I agreed on is short. He was already there. 

“Hey! Y/n, how are you?” He stands up to greet me. 

“I’m okay, you? Have you ordered anything,” it’s unlikely he did as it is his idea of being polite. 

“No, I was waiting for you. I only got here a minute ago. I’m doing fine, honestly pretty anxious.” I nod as we sit down. 

“I figured. I hope dinner will help fuel your mind to study today. If you need to vent I’m happy to listen. If you want advice ask, I won’t give it otherwise. I’m here for you.” I give an attempt at a reassuring smile. The waiter comes by and we order. Throughout dinner, he seems restless, as if he wants to vent but not quite where to start. “I’m guessing you're still pretty upset about the Dateko game, right? It would make sense. It was rough for everybody. We all hold a sense of responsibility for it.”

“It’s hard to get the ending out of my head. The fight afterward is also bothering me,” he continues for a while to explain his feelings. “I would like some advice or kind words. I think both would be nice.” I nod and take a minute to figure out my wording. 

“I know you blame yourself. We all do. We can’t dwell on the past. It’s best to move forward. I can’t make you come to practice if you don’t want to. I know with absolute certainty everybody will accept you with open arms. I might even be willing to hug you,” I give a small smile. I have a hard time with physical contact- it is easier with Ryu and Noya. “You probably don’t think of yourself worthy to be an ace, right? That doesn’t matter. You are. It is a logical conclusion with evidence to back it up, whether you believe it or not.” He nods in appreciation as we finish off our food and pay. 

We go to the library nearby and study for a while. I may be a year younger, but I am quick to pick up information with even awful notes. He takes good notes so it is quite easy to help him if he needs it. I’m mostly there to help him focus though. I head home after a couple hours and take a shower. Going through my nightly routine tells my body to be tired. I may not be tired beforehand, but going through the motions helps. I text Noya and Ryu goodnight in our group chat and lie down. 

I can’t sleep. After what feels like days I text Yuu. 

» Can I come over? I’m having trouble falling asleep and I haven’t seen you enough recently.

«Yep! I’ll have my window open. 

I text my thanks and pull on a coat and shoes. It’s easy to get out of the house as my parents are both heavy sleepers. This is also a common occurrence so they don’t worry about it very much. The walk to Noya’s house is short. It’s more of a run really. If I walked it would be long, and I find the air refreshing. Whenever I run at night I feel electric. Doesn’t really help my sleep issue, but running burns some energy and after resting and cooling down I’m exhausted. 

I climb the tree using the handholds we installed once this started happening often. Yuu seems almost asleep but lights up as soon as he hears me. Once I’m high enough he helps me in. I sit on the window seal and take off my shoes before coming in. I set them on a branch that holds them perfectly. “Hi, do you need water? Tea? Both? A snack?” I chuckle at his worry and tap his arm three times to indicate the third option. He nods and heads to his kitchen with determination. I take off my jacket and settle on his bed holding a pillow to my chest. 

He walks back into his room holding a glass of water, a mug of tea, and an energy bar. _That is an odd choice before bed._ “I brought a snack just in case. You don’t have to eat it.” He sets everything on the side table near his bed and sits behind me. Hugging me he asks if I’m doing alright. I nod and down the glass of water. Moving on to sip at my tea. After I drink about half I turn around in Noya’s arms and snuggle against him. I straddle him nuzzling into his neck. He lies back against his pillows and I drift to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gotta figure out a whole tapping code, and then link it somewhere. I don't want to make it a whole chapter. Thanks for reading.


End file.
